Community board in the shadow of Central Park calls for tall-building moratorium

The Manhattan Community Board 5 Central Park Sunshine Task Force argued that tall residential buildings south of Central Park are increasingly plunging the greenspace into shadow.

A midtown community-board task force argued on the steps of City Hall Tuesday that tall residential buildings south of Central Park are increasingly plunging the greenspace into shadow, and renewed its call for a moratorium on new ones until height limits can be established.

"If we want to make provisions for good urban planning, we have to hit the pause button," said Layla Law-Gisiko, who chairs the Manhattan Community Board 5 Central Park Sunshine Task Force.

The task force released a report last week suggesting a moratorium on all new buildings taller than 600 feet between 53rd Street and Central Park South, and between Fifth and Eighth avenues. And on Tuesday, a handful of City Council members—who often have the final say in zoning matters—expressed support for the task force. Among them was Daniel Garodnick (D-Manhattan), who represents most of the area in question.

"It feels like the tail is wagging the dog out there, with buildings going up and the city hopelessly sitting on the sidelines," Mr. Garodnick said in a statement, advocating generally for a solution but not specifically endorsing a moratorium.

In fact, it was not immediately clear how such a moratorium might even come about. Typically, changes to zoning that dictate the size and shape of buildings are done through a public-review process.

"A plan such as this is only appropriate when studied thoroughly by the Department of City Planning," said Mitchell Korbey, chair of the land-use and zoning practice at law firm Herrick Feinstein. "And it is not something that should be approved without a thoughtful and careful analysis of the zoning districts and the context and character of the existing buildings."

While a so-called moratorium might be passed as a local law, Mr. Korbey said such a measure would be unprecedented in the city's modern history.

The report came out of concerns of a number of buildings topping 1,000 feet that have been sprouting south of Central Park and casting shadows on the greenspace. However, most of the towers have been built using existing zoning laws and have not been subject to the public-review process.

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